Kandara Guest House

A brick frontage and glossy red front door make a cheery first impression for this family-run bed-and-breakfast. Inside, the lobby and hallways
are bright and well kept. But the retro leaf-patterned wallpaper and overhead light
fixtures clash with the dark red carpet. A wall-mounted display of leaflets detracts from the homely feel, too, and the dark-wood banisters and white spindles add to the dated look, while pine-wood drawers -- with trailing router wires -- look out of place. Still, attractive white wood trim and period
stained-glass windows give the interiors a vintage charm. The
bright, airy and light-flooded breakfast room feels more modern, though also more generic, with plain cream walls, white wood trim, green carpet, and IKEA-esque tan-wood tables and chairs.

On a
peaceful tree-lined street in a residential neighborhood, the Kandara is
shielded from its busy neighborhood of Islington. It's just a 10-minute walk to Canonbury
London Overground Station, with tube connections to
central London. The property is also well positioned for bus connections, with
a number of routes passing the end of the road, and there are local shops,
cafes and restaurants nearby, too. Local attractions include the Almeida
Theatre, an 18-minute walk or four-minute drive away, and
the Camden Passage antiques market, 20 minutes away on foot or five minutes by car. It’s a six-minute drive or 16-minute bus ride to the O2
Academy Islington, and Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium is a
seven-minute drive or 17-minute train ride away. As for central London sights,
the London Eye, Leicester Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Oxford Street
are all within a 20-minute drive or 40-minute tube ride. Piccadilly Circus is a
19-minute drive or 26-minute tube ride, while Knightsbridge is
23 minutes away by car or 36 minutes by public transport. London City is the
closest of the capital’s three major airports, a 25-minute drive or 48-minute
tube ride; Heathrow Airport is 45 minutes away by car or just
over an hour by public transport, while Gatwick Airport is over an hour away by
road or public transport.

The
Kandara’s 10 rooms are comfortable, quiet, and generally spacious (though some
are on the smaller side), but they can be dated in parts. Large and comfortable
beds have old-fashioned pine-wood frames and headboards, and dated linens in a faded '80s-style pattern. Off-white walls with framed prints and carpet in gray or dark red give a neutral backdrop. Gorgeous
original sash windows have a mix of elegant floor-length curtains and others that
are shorter and more old-fashioned. There are decent-sized pine-wood desks,
elegant padded armchairs, and large closets, and each room has a freestanding
sink with an overhead mirror. Family Rooms are more spacious and have both a
double and single bed, while Single Rooms can be particularly compact. Some
rooms have impersonal and outdated noticeboards of posters containing room
information, which are an eyesore. Rear-facing rooms have attractive garden
views, but those looking onto the street are equally pleasant. Other standard
amenities include individual heating, flat-screen TVs, coffee- and tea-making
facilities, hairdryers, and free Wi-Fi; there are no fridges or safes, which is
common for mid-range bed-and-breakfasts in London.None of the
rooms have en-suite bathrooms -- but the five shared bathrooms are bright and spacious, if
slightly dated in parts, and guests report rarely having to wait to use them.
They sport a mix of white floor tiling with patterned or peach-colored mosaic
trim; some have patterned cream floor tiling, while others go for more dated
wood-effect linoleum.

As a small bed-and-breakfast, the Kandara has few facilities to speak of. But the free cooked and continental breakfast is a highlight for many guests, as is the friendliness of
the owners, who are full of local knowledge. There’s reliable free Wi-Fi
throughout, and free overnight parking is available on the street outside,
though charges apply in the daytime.